Alcohol complicates hospital treatment

Thursday July 2nd, 2009

The weekly amount of alcohol consumed has a “notable effect” on the number of days spent in hospital, researchers warned today.

Drinking between eight and 14 units per week led to longer in-patient stays than non-drinkers, while the heaviest drinkers had a 58 per cent higher use of beds than others.

The investigation into the drinking habits of almost 6,000 men from West and Central Scotland is published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

The participants, aged 35-64 in the early 1970s when the study began, underwent a comprehensive health screen to check for any underlying and potential health problems and were asked about their weekly alcohol consumption.

Their health was tracked by researchers at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, for an average of 28 years, using national hospital activity data, focusing on heart and respiratory diseases, stroke and alcohol-related illness/conditions.

The researchers, led by Dr Carole Hart, found that:

• Those drinking between eight and 14 units spent longer in hospital than non-drinkers. The length of stay progressively increased the higher the weekly consumption;
• Men drinking more than 22 units a week had a 20 cent higher rate of admissions into acute care hospitals than non-drinkers;
• The heaviest drinkers had a 58 per cent higher use of beds;
• Those who drank 15 units of alcohol per week or more spent more time in hospital with stroke-related illnesses – and the time as an in-patient progressively increased the more weekly units were consumed.;
• Men drinking more than 22 units per week had more admissions for respiratory illness, but they had the lowest rates of admission for coronary heart disease. Non-drinkers had the highest rates of admission for this;
• Those who consumed 22 or more units a week had more admissions for mental health problems, but non-drinkers had a higher rate of admissions for mental ill health than those who drank between 1 and 14 units a week.

The authors of the report concluded that alcohol has a “notable effect” on health service use and contributes to overall costs to the NHS.

Alcohol consumption and use of acute and mental health hospital services in the West of Scotland Collaborative prospective cohort study Online First J Epidemiol Community Health 2009; doi 10.1136/jech.2008.079764

Tags: Drug and Alcohol Abuse | General Health | NHS | UK News

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